Be Careful
by Darkpanik
Summary: The Autobots are preparing to roll out into battle to a young girl's dismay. One-shot set in G1. Rate K if rating needs to be changed for any reason, please tell me


_I wanted to take a break from my other story (Called by the Matrix). Don't worry, I WILL finish it...eventually. This story has been in my head for a while and I finally decided to type it out. It was from a dream I had. XD Anyway, enjoy it!_

_Happy Reading/Writing_

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><p>"Move out!" the saboteur yelled. The Autobots were frantically running around the base, getting ready to roll out for battle. Teletraan I just broadcasted the latest news report, which stated that the Decepticons were attacking a mine occupied by humans. Apparently they found an energy source there that could help them greatly with the war. Of course Optimus wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Especially since humans were involved. He already felt guilty about a failed mission about an Earth month ago. To some Autobots, the mission didn't seem like a complete failure. They managed to drive away the 'Cons from the city, however, they also made a mistake that cost the lives of a couple humans. To Prime, losing human lives during a battle was a huge failure and it still devastates him.<p>

Jazz continued to bark orders at the Autobots. Especially ones who seemed to be goofing off. In other words, the twins: Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They were fighting over a buffing wheel, which was typical considering their vain and arrogant personalities. But there was no time for such behaviors. Before Jazz was able to say anything to the twins, a red mech marched up to them.

"Wha' do ya think yer doin'?" Ironhide drawled. "We're dealin' with 'cons! Now move it!" The two immediately stammered their apologies and ran off. They knew better than to irritate the older mech. Ironhide merely shook his head.

Unaware about it, a pair of hazel eyes were watching Ironhide. A very young human girl was hiding an empty room, curiously observing the Autobot as he walked off to the weaponry chamber. The human ran after him, though trying to keep her distance. Just as the old mech turned into the chamber, he caught sight of her through the corner of his optic. An unusual gentle smile spread across his face, something the other 'bots still haven't gotten used to seeing.

Ironhide stopped and watched as the tiny creature came up to him and glomped his peds. The red mech chuckled and gently scooped her up . The girl smiled sweetly at him. He liked the little human for some reason the other 'bots haven't figured out yet.

"Hey there, darlin'. Wachya doin'?" he asked.

"Why's Jazzy mad?" she asked back, completely dismissing his question. Normally, Ironhide would get irritated if someone did that but he's willing to let it go for her.

"He ain't mad, sugar. He's just tryin' to get everyone movin'."

"Hmmm...," the human uttered softly and snugged against the rough black hands that were holding her. "Where's everyone going?" This particular question made Ironhide frown slightly. He knew where this was going.

"Sorry, darlin'. Ya can't come with."

"Why?"

"You'll get hurt."

"Why?"

"We've been through this, sugar. There are some bad guys we gotta take care of. Alright?"

She stared at him for a moment before murmuring, "Alright." Ironhide knew that she may not have fully understood what was going on, but she did understand that at times, when they would leave without her, some 'bots would come back injured. He also knew that that's what always made her upset.

Ironhide merely stood there holding the young human. He momentarily forgot about the Decepticons that needed to be stopped. But his mind was too occupied with the memory of first meeting the human. He knew it was about a month ago since the Autobots took the newly orphaned child in. Optimus thought it was their duty to be the human girl's 'foster family' or whatever the humans called it. Prime still blames himself for what happened to her parents. Since then, she was adored by the majority of the mechs in the base. Especially by Optimus, Jazz, and even himself. Oddly enough, Grimlock showed to have a great liking towards her. He and the other Dinobots watch her with interest as she plays with Bumblebee. They even get protective whenever Sunstreaker decides to harass her.

"Ironhide, what do ya think yer doin'?" Jazz asked irritably, bringing the older mech out of his thoughts. In response, Ironhide merely held the little girl out towards the saboteur. Immediately, the irritation disappeared from Jazz's face and he smiled at the child. "Hey there, Kitty."

"Hi, Jazzy!" Kitty said.

"Listen, baby girl. We need to leave now. How about you go and play. Alright?"

"Alright...," she sighed as Ironhide lowered her down. The girl hugged his fingers for a moment then hopped off of his hand. "Where's Optimi?" she asked as she absently ran her tiny hands over the light blue sun dress she was wearing. Carly was able to get her some clothes earlier and even give the Autobot suggestions on things they should get for her if clothing supplies were low. Thank Primus for human friends.

"Optimus," Ironhide gently corrected and pointed, "is down the hall there. He's talkin' to Brawn. And ya know what ta do when Brawn's 'round, right?"

"Call him short?"

"Atta girl," Ironhide grinned. Jazz merely snorted but grinned as well. Both mechs were amused at how furious Brawn gets whenever someone insults him. They knew that he could do absolutely nothing to Kitty. Which was perfect for them since they constantly use the child to tease him, to Prime's annoyance. Then again, Prime never really bothered to tell them to stop. So until then, they continued to pester Brawn with their little not so secret weapon. "Ya better get ta Prime quickly if ya wanna say bye to him," Ironhide added. Kitty nodded.

"See ya later, baby girl," the saboteur murmured then transformed and drove off with Ironhide following closely. The girl watched them go for a moment then trotted off down the hall. Kitty smiled happily when she saw the tallest mech talking to a much smaller one.

"Optimi!" she squealed and ran over.

Brawn looked at her and groaned in annoyance. He never appreciated her stay at the base and he let everyone know it. He especially disliked the fact that she insults him. He knew that it wasn't entirely her fault but it still irritated him. When he finds out the mech or mechs who gotten her to say all the slag she says, he'll pound them to scrap metal.

"Hi," Kitty said happily to them, then to Brawn she announced, "You're short."

"You little...!" he snarled but immediately backed off when Optimus gave him a warning look. Kitty smiled her innocent smile at Brawn, secretly hoping that she'd win him over. Brawn merely grumbled, transformed, and drove off.

"Katherine," Optimus began.

"Kitty," the girl immediately interrupted. "Mommy and Daddy call me Kitty."

"Yes...my apologies," the Prime murmured. He did not fully understand why her parents gave her another name. It may have been a nickname, but he still found it a bit odd since her nickname was that of an infant feline. "Kitty, you know that Brawn doesn't like it when you make fun of his height. And you teasing him isn't going to make him like you any more."

Kitty smiled with childish mischief. Optimus knew that she was somewhat aware of what she was doing but he couldn't really get upset with her. She was just a child after all. Besides, her mischief was completely harmless compared to a few others' he could think of.

The Prime sighed heavily and shook his head. He kneeled down so he could be closer to the human's height...which was still nowhere close enough. The girl reached up towards his face. She tried to go up on the tips of her toes, making a poor effort to get taller.

"Not now, little one. I have to leave."

"No," the girl protested and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. 'Oh Primus. Here we go,' Prime thought.

"Yes," he said gently. "We can play when I come back. Alright?" He gently touched her small frame with his fingers. Kitty immediately latched onto them as best she could.

"Don't go," she said. Her bottom lip began to tremble.

"I have to go. It is my duty to lead my Autobots to fi- uh...handle these kinds of issues," Optimus said, trying his best to not reveal what they do. But, she wasn't going to fall for it. She may be young, but she was not stupid. She always got upset when the Autobots get worked up or excited for a battle then leave. Besides that, she hears what the other 'bots talk about the battles and such. She wasn't completely clueless.

"You'll get hurt," Kitty said a matter-of-factly.

"We won't. I promise," Optimus repeated these words each time. To his dismay, the human frowned.

"You always say that," she said to the ground. His spark ached from seeing her so upset. It ached even more by the fact that he caused her to feel this way. It was his fault. _His._ "Where's my mommy and daddy?," Kitty asked suddenly. The Prime merely stared at her. The human didn't fully understand that if one dies, they'll never come back. She will have to learn that the hard way after she realizes what happened to her parents. That particular fact hurts Optimus much more.

"I don't know," he lied. The human sighed, disappointed, and snuggled against the large metal fingers. Optimus gently pulled away. "I have to go," he whispered as other Autobots drove and ran passed him. They didn't bother calling out to him. They knew better.

Tears welled up in the tiny being's eyes. She didn't cry much but when she did, it was spark breaking. She reached for the large 'bot as he backed away then turned his back to her. With his head hanging low, he walked off towards the entrance/exit of his base.

Kitty didn't know what to do but two words came to mind. She knew those two words well. Most of the Autobots say those words to her a lot. She even remembered her parents said them to her a few times. After pushing her tears back as much as she could, she took a big breath then, with all her might, yelled, "BE CAREFUL!"

Optimus didn't stop. He didn't look back. He merely nodded his head as he continued to walk.

"I'll try, little one. I'll try," he murmured before transforming into his truck form and driving off.

...

Kitty spent her time in the medbay with Ratchet and Wheeljack. Bumblebee was with her as well. The small yellow 'bot was her usual playmate. They enjoyed each others' company very much. Ratchet never really paid much attention to her. He'd occasionally talk to her but that was about it. Wheeljack liked to show her his inventions and explained them to her, even though she didn't have a clue what he was talking about half the time. However, this time, the three 'bots weren't saying or doing anything with her.

They merely watched her as she sat in the far corner frowning. She was distraught and they didn't know what to do or say. Even Ratchet was a bit concerned. Bumblebee attempted to go near her and try to comfort her but she just asked about Optimus and the others. Bumblebee didn't know what to answer her. He was also getting slightly concerned about the others. They've been out for hours, which was rare. But he tried to not show it on his face.

"Come on, Kitty," he said. "Let's play with those block things Carly left for us. You like stacking those up, right?" Kitty shook her head, her blond curls flailing around. The young 'bot thought hard about the little human games Spike mentioned to him. "Alright. How about we play Seek an' Hide?"

"I want Optimi!" she finally said hotly.

"_Optimus _is out doing his job," Ratchet snapped impatiently. He was getting irritated by her childish attitude. Wheeljack merely put a hand on the medic's shoulder plating, wordlessly telling him to calm down.

"Listen, Kitty," Wheeljack started. "Prime...he'll be back as soon as he can. Alright? He'll be just-" He was interrupted by Prowl, who suddenly ran in.

"Bring him in! Hurry!" he yelled behind him then to Ratchet, "Prime needs medical attention. Megatron injured him badly. He's unconscious." Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee looked at Kitty. Prowl followed their gaze and saw her staring at him, clearly understanding the situation. "Oh Slag," Prowl breathed.

"MOVE!" Ironhide's voice roared. The red mech stumbled in, holding an unconscious Optimus.

Prime didn't seem to be severely injured. Just a few scratches and dents here and there. Nothing major...until Ironhide set him down on the nearest berth. There was a large hole in his abdomen. The edges of the wound and the wiring inside were scorched from the blast. The pink energon dripped out from the wound. Ratchet knew what caused this: Megatron's fusion cannon. Optimus is usually able to dodge the devastating blasts from the weapon but from this wound, it seemed that he was hit at point blank. Optimus was still online though...barely. The medic ran over and began his work with Wheeljack right behind him.

"Optimi?" Kitty whimpered and stood up.

"Get her out of here!" Ratchet yelled, frantically trying to stop the energon from leaking any more. Bumblebee reached for her, but the human dodged his outstretched hands and ran right passed him.

"Optimi!" she cried out and ran towards the berth. Ironhide gently picked her up and headed out. The young girl started screaming and trying to jump out of his hands.

"Sorry, darlin'," Ironhide said, straining to hold her without crushing her. "But I can't let you see him like that."

"Iron...hide," Optimus suddenly whispered. The red mech stopped and looked back at his leader.

"Prime," he said, not knowing if he should go back or stay where he was.

"Optimus, please don't speak. Reserve your energy," Ratchet murmured. "Just rest."

"Put...her...down," Optimus barely got out, completely ignoring the medic's orders.

Ironhide reluctantly set Kitty down, who immediately ran towards Optimus. Bumblebee gently hoisted the human up so she could be closer to him.

"Just keep her out of my way," Ratchet grumbled as he continued to fix up his leader at a miraculous speed. 'Thank Primus for making Ratchet an amazing medic,' Bumblebee thought as he set Kitty down near Prime's helm and backed off. The Autobot leader slowly turned his head to look at her. His optics were duller than usual from trying to conserve him energy to survive. Even so, there was no doubt that there was guilt in them.

The young girl stared back at Optimus with tear filled eyes. He wished he could kick himself. He made yet another stupid mistake and nearly got himself offlined. He knew that the Autobots needed him and that there was no one ready to take his role just yet. He especially hated himself for breaking _another_ promise to her. He wasn't careful and he paid the price for it. He was so sure that Kitty was angry at him.

"I apologize...," he whispered. "I...couldn't keep...my promise."

Without saying anything, Kitty hugged onto Prime's masked face. It took Optimus a while to process what she did. He finally let out a soft chuckle. He dismissed the angry shouts from his medic, who disapproved of his laughter while being in such a state. The guilt from his optics faded a bit. They were now soft and loving. He finally realized it. The Autobots weren't the only ones who needed him. Kitty, this young human, needed him as well. She lost her parents. What if she lost him too? She may have the other Autobots to look after her, but he was the only mech that was like a parent to her. And he loved her like any parent would love their child.

"Optimi, be careful next time," she chided softly in her sweet little voice.

Optimus gave her a slight nod. He watched the tiny human curl up right next to his head and fall asleep. He smiled under his mask. 'I really should be more careful,' he thought to himself before finally drifting of into recharge.


End file.
